Method of making a miniature packet



Sept. 22, 1953 L. ADLER 2,653,120

METHOD OF MAKING A MINIATURE PACKET Original Filed Dec. 8, 1945 INVENTOR. LEON APLER.

TORNEY Patented Sept. 22 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING A MINIATURE PACKET Leon Adler, St. Louis, Mo.

Original application December 8, 1945, Serial No. 633,885. Divided and this application July 28, 1951, Serial No. 239,174

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in miniature packets, and more particularly to such devices that are primarily adapted to contain small amounts of material, such as coloring matter or the like that are intended to be intermixed with various base commodities for the treatment of the latter, as for example, for tinting or coloring oleomargarine or the like for table use.

This invention is a divisional application of my copending application Serial No. 633,885, filed on December 8, 1945, now Patent No. 2,565,336, and has as its principal object the method of constructing the packet therein described and claimed.

Some of the more important objects of the invention are to so construct a packet of the type described, that will hold a small quantity of dispensible material which may be emptied quickly, easily and completely, and without likelihood of accidentally spilling the contents in such emptying operation.

Another important object of my invention is to so construct such a packet, that the same will have such retained material in a pocket that is formed between a pair of laminations or sheets, and wherein said pocket will be bounded by a relatively narrow endless sealing band, so that although said pocket will normally remain sulficiently effectively sealed, said narrow seal may be readily intentionally opened or broken whenever it is desired to empty the packet of its contents.

Another important object of the invention is to so construct an easily openable miniature packet of the kind described, of a pair of opposed layers or laminations of sheeting, with an endless sealing band therebetween to form a material-receiving pocket within the boundary of said band, the packet being unsealed being between the portion of the sheets that are between said sealing band and in the peripheral bounding edges of the packet, so that said laminations may then be grasped in unison at said outer unsealed peripheral portions, to thus peel them apart and expose the contents of said packet for emptying.

An added object of my invention is to so construct a packet of the kind described, with a corner or peripheral portion of the same bent upon itself to make it more readily graspable by the fingers when it is desired to peel one of said laminations from the other.

Another added object of the invention is to provide a packet of the kind described, wherein the laminations on the opposite sides or faces 2 of the pocket shall be of materials of such different physical characteristics to insure that while one of said laminations retains its folded form after having been bent, the other lamination will be so resiliently flexible that it will substantially straighten itself out and return to its initial or original fiat plane or shape even after such a bending operation.

Yet another object of my invention is to so construct such a packet with oppose-d laminations to either side of the pocket, in such a manner that although both such laminations are bent substantially simultaneously backwardly upon themselves, yet, on account of the difierent physical characteristics of the laminations themselves, wherein one of them is relatively much more bend-resistant than the other, the latter will retrieve itself to substantially its initial shape, while the other sheet will retain its tolded form, and thus a pair of tabs will result at said folded portions, the table projecting in mutually different directions to better enable them to be grasped simultaneously by the operator in peeling the sheets apart for emptying the contents of the packet.

Other objects of the invention are the methods of production of such packets of the kind described, so that they will be neat and attractive in appearance, convenient to use, economical to make, and which shall be otherwise satisfactory and "efiicient for use wherever found applicable.

Many other objects and advantages of the method herein shown and described wil be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, as will be more clearly seen from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel method of construction herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters represent like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view'of my improved packet;

Figure 2, is a transverse cross-sectional view of the same, taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. l, and showing alternate ways of folding the top ply of said packet, in dotted lines; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, illustrating the manner of manipulation of the packet to peel the same apart to expose its contents for emptying.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, A represents an individual packet as it appears ready for use, and the contents of which may be emptied for any desired use, into a receptacle or into some base commodity. Such a packet may be of a miniature size, and may have a concentrated matter or extract such as coloring 2 therein, in an amount sufficient to properly treat a unit quantity of the base commodity, say for coloring a one-pound block of oleomargarine to some predetermined tint or shade.

This packet is preferably of a somewhat flat shape with a shallow pocket I approximately centrally spaced within its bounding peripheral or terminal edge, and in which pocket may be held sealed a small quantity of the said coloring matter 2 or the like, said amount and kind varying with the particular purpose intended for the packet.

Although this pocket may be of any shape or outline, it is shown in this instance as being circular, while the packet itself may have its peripheral edge of a preferably non-circular shape, as for example the polygonal outline shown, the individual sides of the polygon being indicated at 3. It has been found in practice that when said packet is of the hexagonal shape shown, it adapts itself well to being made and handled throughout all of the stages of manufacture and marketing, without waste of packet material and with a production-line ease and rapidity.

Said packet A may be formed of a pair of opposed sheets or laminations, one of Which is indicated at 4, shown as uppermost of the packet in Fig. 2, and which is formed of a sheet of thin, pliant or relatively flimsy and highly flexibly resilient or elastic material, such as of a nonfibrous material preferably made from a cellulose derivative, and may be air-proof and moistureproof, colored or not, and transparent or otherwise, as may be desired from time to time.

The second or opposed sheet 5 positioned on the other side of the packet is shown in Fig. 2

as being undermost of the pair of superimposed sheets, and may be of some cheaper and sturdier material, preferably one which has the physical characteristic of being less resiliently flexible or elastic than the first sheet 4, say, or glassine paper or other coated or uncoated paper having the characteristics herein mentioned, so that this second sheet will tend to remain in its folded back position after it has been bent backwardly upon itself along any fold line, while the sheet 4 on the other hand will retrieve itself to its substantially flat or original planar form or shape as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2 after it has been bent.

The sheet 5 may be transparent, although it is preferred that it be translucent or opaque so as to form a more pleasing background for the transparent and preferably colored sheet 4.

Said pair of sheets may be cut or otherwise suitably formed into the preferably hexagonal shapes shown, preferably after they have been secured together with the circular, relatively narrow and endless sealing band 6, said band being only about wide in practice, and said pocket having been filled at some stage prior to such sealing and securement of the sheets to one another.

Such a sealing band, although relatively narrow throughout it length, is sufficiently strong to efficiently retain the material 2 within the impermeability to the sealing medium used, to

insure only a surface seal without undue penetration into the sheet material. This makes it possible to separate and peel the packet with ease and certainty, and with a complete uncovering of the pocket.

When one pull tab is grasped with one hand and the other pull tab grasped with the other hand, and the hands then pulled apart as indicated in Fig. 3, the sheets will readily separate and peel from one another to wholly open the pocket to thereby permit completely dispensing its contents.

It is to be borne in mind, and it is again repeated, that the sheets 4 and 5 are of such differently comparable resiliencies or elasticities that if both sheets are bent rearwardly or backwardly along fold lines, the less resiliently flexible sheet (the sheet 5 in this instance) will remain bent or folded, while the other sheet will tend to lose its fold and retrieve itself to substantially its originally fiat shape and position.

The pull tabs may be formed in any one of various ways, and in one or more steps, as desired. For example, as the packets are fed along in succession past a tab-bending mechanism the edges of said sheets may be first separated at some predetermined portion of their marginal areas, and both of such areas bent backwardly with the required force. Although both of said sheets may be bent backwardly like or different angular amounts, it is preferable that the sheet 5 be bent backwardly sufficiently so as to lie substantially fiat against the main body portion and be approximately 180 degrees from its originally extended shape or position, while the sheet 4 may be bent backwardly through either the same or a lesser angular amount as indicated in the several dotted line positions indicated in Fig, 2.

Such bending is done along a substantially common bend or fold line lying between the free peripheral edges of the packet and the sealing band and this will form the tabs 8 and 9 on the marginal edge areas of the sheets l and 5 respectively.

These sheets, being of the diiferently comparable resiliency and flexibility characteristics hereinbefore mentioned, the tab 9 that was reentrantly bent will remain in that position after the bending force has been withdrawn, as indicated in Fig. 2, while the other tab 8 Will tend to retrieve or return to its original full-line position as soon as said bending force has been released therefrom.

Hence, the tabs 8 and 9 will be finally positioned at approximately 180 degrees apart after the retrievable tab has, more or less slowly, returned to its original plane, although the tabs may be bent back a lesser angular distance apart, this angle however, being greater than degrees to thereby make it easy and convenient to grasp both tabs simultaneously to peel the sheets apart.

By making one of the sheets transparent and colored, the finished packet will appear to be difierently colored at the tabs than at other portions, to thereby enable instant recognition of the tab locations for commencing the peeling operation.

Although a packet for holding unit amounts of oleomargarine coloring has been shown and described as the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the invention is not to be considered as being limited thereto, as the method herein set forth embraces the forming of tabs in a pair of superimposed sheets of materials of such differently comparable physical characteristics that although only one sheet will have its tab retain its bend after the bending force has been released therefrom, the other sheet will have its tab portion retrieve or return itself to its initially extended position, all as hereinbefore described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of forming tabs on a pair of sheets of mutually different resiliency characteristics, comprising superimposing said sheets on one another, and bending both of said sheets along a common fold line simultaneously rear- Wardly of their adjacent peripheral edge portions while holding said sheets together rearwardly of said fold line.

2. The method of forming pull tabs on a pair of substantially flat sheets only one of which is sufficiently resiliently flexible to retrieve itself to its originally flat shape after it has been folded, comprising superimposing said sheets with predetermined marginal areas of both sheets in registry, securing said sheets together to leave said predetermined marginal areas unsecured, simultaneously forcibly folding said sheets reentrant- 6 13 at said predetermined unsecured marginal areas, and then releasing said folding force from both of said sheets.

3. The method of forming pull tabs on a pair of attached sheets one of which has greater bendretaining resistance than the other so as to retrieve itself to its initial shape after it has been bent, comprising superimposing said sheets on one another so that a portion of their marginal edges extend in substantially superimposed registry, forcibly bending them simultaneously backwardly along bend lines spaced inwardly of their adjacent peripheral edge portions, and then releasing said bending force from both sheets.

4. The method of forming pull tabs on a pair of sheets having mutually different resiliently flexible characteristics, comprising superimposing one of said sheets on the other one so that a predetermined portion of their opposed marginal edges extend in superimposed registry, securing said sheets together to leave said predetermined portion of their marginal edges unsecured, and then bending said unsecured marginal portions.

LEON ADLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.20,517 Adler Sept. 28, 1937 2,176,308 Larkin Oct. 17, 1939 2,334,600 Boysen Nov. 16, 1943 2,365,556 Karg Dec. 19, 1944 2,397,051 Scherer Mar. 19, 1946 2,491,281 Rowe Dec. 13, 1949 2,565,336 Adler Aug. 21, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 531,863 Germany Aug. 17, 1931 

4. THE METHOD OF FORMING PULL TABLS ON A PAIR OF SHEETS HAVING MUTUALLY DIFFEENT RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE CHARACTERISTICS, COMPRISING SUPERIMPOSING ONE OF SAID SHEETS ON THE OTHER ONE SO THAT A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THEIR OPPOSED MARGINAL EDGES EXTEND IN SUPERIMPOSED REGISTRY, SECURING SAID SHEETS TOGETHER TO LEAVE SAID PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THEIR MARGINAL EDGES UNSECURED, AND THEN BENDING SAID UNSECURED MARGINAL PORTIONS. 